Even in the wildest imagination, Sangharsh’s Lajja Shankar Pandey and Hum Aapke Hai Koun...!’s Pooja coming together as a couple is an unlikely thought. Their reel characters may not blend well together, but in real life, Ashutosh Rana and Renuka Shahane are a copybook couple.

Their love story reeled in the wavering shadows of the glamour world, which both of them avoid quite deftly. While they have been together for over 17 years, blame it on timing or lack of a script, the couple seldom came together on screen.

The couple first met for a trial of Hansal Mehta’s movie Jayati, which unfortunately couldn’t see the light of the day. “The film never released but at least we met. And, once we were introduced we were attracted to each other as we both have similar interests,” Renuka told Mirror in a recent interview.

Renuka Shahane on how Ashutosh Rana handles trolls

After courtship of a year, Renuka and Ashutosh decided to tie the knot. They had a close-knit traditional wedding ceremony in Ashutosh’s native place Damoh, Madhya Pradesh.

“We are well-read, outspoken about our opinions and there is a certain integrity and honesty about us whether we are acting or thinking about anything that is happening," Renuka said reflecting on their relationship.

Both the actors have been vocal about societal, political and moral issues in the country. However, their presentation and expression shows the stark difference in their personalities. “Our worlds are poles apart. He is from a rural region in Madhya Pradesh and I am born and raised in Mumbai. There are a lot of differences. He comes from a joint family; I am from a nuclear family,” the Surabhi presenter revealed.

He comes from a very patriarchal family, but the respect all the women in my married family and I have received is immense, she added with pride in her voice.

Even though Renuka ignores the troll army, when asked how he handles the attacks targeting her on social media, she said, “He ignores them completely and doesn’t come online and read what comments people post. He can easily handle the trolling he gets, but if he finds somebody is trolling me, he loses it. So, we have both decided that he won’t read what trolls post on my timeline.”

The couple, before taking the grand 'proverbial' plunge, was a little skeptical about how things would translate for them. "But I must say marriage has been so good to both of us and I think I am much more in love with him now after marriage", she said.

The couple is parents to two young boys - Shouryamana and Satyendra. “As parents, we really enjoy our time together. Now, I don’t distinguish myself different from my married family and he doesn’t do that as well. Slowly and steadily, our families have come together and we have a happy life,” she signed off.

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